Cong walks out of LS protesting against Arunachal developments

The controversial political developments in Arunchal Pradesh created uproar in the Lok Sabha for the fourth day on Friday with Congress members led by Sonia Gandhi staging a walkout protesting against not being allowed to have their say on the issue.

"Stop partiality", agitated Congress members chanted as they left the House, with party leader Mallikarjun Kharge announcing boycott of the proceedings for the day. JD-U and NCP also joined the walkout.

Gandhi was herself in the Well for a while along with an agitated Kharge who pleaded with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow him to have his say, claiming that the developments in Arunachal portended danger for democracy. The Speaker remained unmoved.

During the Question Hour as also during the Zero Hour, Congress members stormed the Well demanding recall of the Arunachal Pradesh Governor chanting slogans "stop dictatorship" and "dismiss the governor".

In the question hour, when the Speaker disallowed notices of adjournment motion moved by some Congress members on certain actions of the Arunachal Pradesh Governor, Kharge said a "new turn" has taken place following the verdict of the Gauhati High Court.

The Speaker made it clear that no reference to the high court can be made in the House and the Arunachal issue has already been raised. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu also urged the Chair to delete the reference made to the high court.

"You raise slogans every day. Government can't take decisions and House cannot run like this," she observed.

Apparently referring to Congress, she said "with years of rule and presence in the House, you have experience ... proceedings will take place as per rules and procedures."

At one point, exasperated by their continued protests, a peeved Speaker directed her officials to note down the names of Congress members standing in the Well raising slogans against the government.